New Swedish Books, autumn 2020 1
65 Autumn 2020 The Unnatural Selection of Our Spe
cies The jury: Important, exciting, hyper-current and knowledgeable. Facts are served up in such a way that makes the reader feel clever. The progress of new genetic technology has hurtled forward at breakneck speed. When the first genetically modified children, twins Lulu and Nana, were born in China in 2018 it was clear that humanity faced new possibilities that previously we could have only dreamt about. It has given us the opportunity to change what it means to be human. The discovery of the CRISPR genetic scissors used to edit DNA could potentially lead to the eradication of many diseases. But, whilst advancements give us hope, they also force us to face difficult ethical and societal questions. Torill Kornfeldt has travelled all over the world to meet the people who are driving this research forward. She has visited fertility clinics in South Korea, oncologists in China experimenting on sick patients, and bio-hackers in the USA who want to make the new technology available to everyone. She examines the consequences of these recent developments as well as what might still be waiting around the corner. We stand upon a precipice; both fantastic and frightening possibilities lurk within our own genetic material. It is an exciting but complicated area to navigate. Yet, in Kornfeldt’s hands, the resulting book is an easy read that expertly and effortlessly explains the current developments in the field. It is a book that’s not only deep and intellectual, but highly entertaining and witty as well. Torill Kornfeldt Popular Science, 238 p. Torill Kornfeldt Publisher Natur & Kultur Rights Kontext Agency Rita G Karlsson rita@kontextagency.com Photo: Erik Ardelius